Preview: Do you believe in magic?

Comment

By Kevin Dickinson

Taft Midway Driller - Taft, CA

By Kevin Dickinson

Posted Sep. 24, 2013 at 10:11 AM

By Kevin Dickinson
Posted Sep. 24, 2013 at 10:11 AM

Yreka

W.B. Yeats once said, "The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper," and Landon Stark's "Magic and Mischief" tour will give Siskiyou County residents a chance to sharpen their senses this weekend.

Magician, illusionist, comedian and vaudevillian, Stark is a man of many hats, and he has folded each of these stage performing traditions into his one-man act of geek magic.

When asked to describe geek magic, Stark said the illusions could be best described as jam-packed, fast-paced novelties with a circus flair but added that what people would see at the show would be real.

He also noted his particular brand of geek magic uses comedy to poke fun at "modern-day magicians" and give the audiences an extra layer of escapism. And while the humor will be enjoyed by all ages, there will certainly be jokes offering sly winks for the adults in the audience.

While Stark is currently headlining a one-man West Coast tour, there is no magic trick for disappearing and re-appearing at the top of one's game.

He said he first became transfixed by magic when, at the age of 10, he saw David Copperfield perform live.

Stark went to magic camp in Philadelphia where he first began to learn from seasoned magicians – an experience he called very "Harry Potter" since the wee-magicians were transported by train to the school of magic. Later, he got a job in a dove shop where he sold doves and performed dove magic.

"Although I wanted to take my life by fire, because it was really just a horrible job, I learned more about the magic craft and respected it more," Stark said.

He kept it up, booking birthday parties, going to conventions, studying Las Vegas acts, and learning from the greats such as the witty Penn and his ever-taciturn partner, Teller. Fulfilling every 9-year-old boy's dream, he performed for the Virgin Beach Circus for five years.

Setting off solo, Stark is now showing his audiences the truth of Yeats's quote.

"I think it's important for live magic to show that you're there; you're breaking that fourth wall," Stark said. "Whereas TV has camera tricks, if you're in a magician's audience, you can't deny what you just saw."

He said magic and live theater are dying since entertainment can now be pumped directly into people's houses through the Internet. He wants to help bring both back into people's lives by infusing his show with childhood wonder and awe for flavor.

"In seeing my show, I want the audience to see something rare and feel as though they can all be part of something unique," Stark said. "A magician is only as good as his audience, and if we all take this journey together, then in the end, we'll all feel as though we experienced something special."

Page 2 of 2 - Stark will be performing on Friday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m. at the Siskiyou Performing Arts Center, 311 Yreka St. in Yreka. Tickets are $10 and available at Nature's Kitchen, Bella Art Works and the Yreka Chamber of Commerce. Seating is limited.